Mavericks youngster 'needs a trade' amid uncertain future in Dallas

There were times during his early Dallas Mavericks career when Jaden Hardy looked to be an above-average player.

He averaged 8.8 points per game in just 14.8 minutes per night during his rookie season, shooting 48.3% from the field and 40.4% from 3-point range. A consensus five-star recruit coming out of high school, the hope was for Hardy to continue playing at a high level when he entered the NBA after spending time with the G League Ignite program. 

Unfortunately, that hasn't really been the case, but it might be tough to blame him. 

If Hardy gets an opportunity to play daily, there might be a chance that the Mavericks have something. 

With the current state of the roster, that might not be the case anytime soon, something the organization has to consider moving forward. 

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According to Zack Buckley of Bleacher Report, he believes he's one of five players under 25 who need a trade. Buckley notes that, due to some of his early eye-opening moments, it's possible he could be a fit for a team not currently in a win-now window. 

“The 23-year-old Hardy had some eye-opening moments early in his Mavericks tenure. In a different developmental situation, that might've been enough to lock him into the team's long-term plans—or at least have the chance to do so.

“But with Dallas perpetually chasing win-now goals and always having at least one scoring guard around to lead that charge (first Luka Dončić, then Kyrie Irving and for much of the time both), Hardy's handling has felt more like a back-burner item for this franchise,” he wrote.

Hardy would likely welcome a trade at this point in his career, but he also might want to be with a winning organization like the Mavericks. 

Still, entering his fourth year in the league, it'd be better for him to get some playing time and hope things work out that way.